1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the packaging for a cartridge assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Medicament containing cartridges are well known in the art and are in widespread commercial use. One such cartridge conventionally includes a cylindrical glass body (wall) closed at the distal end with a flexible plunger (grommet) slidable within the bore of the cartridge and closed at the proximal end with a septum secured to the cartridge by a crimped-on collar. The grommet is typically positioned within the cartridge so that the glass wall extends below the grommet. The necked down proximal end conventionally is fitted with a needle hub assembly. One such cartridge is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,729. This patent is incorporated herein by reference. The needle-hub assembly and cartridges are described collectively as a "cartridge assembly." The details of the application of the cartridge assemblies are not pertinent to this discussion and therefore will not be described here. Suffice it to say, the cartridge assemblies are typically used in a hospital and are assembled as a syringe to dispense medicament. The cartridges are filled with medicament before they are made commercially available.
There are many types of medicaments that are commercially available in a cartridge. Some of those medicaments have been designated by the government as controlled substances. That is, access to such substances is limited to medical personnel having proper authorization. Controlled substances such as morphine are often the subject of theft. The criminal act may entail actually stealing the cartridges outright or more frequently, may entail inserting a needle in the grommet in the distal end of the cartridge to withdraw the controlled substance. The thief may even replace the controlled substance with water. In this respect, the puncture may cause contamination and may go undetected for some time.
Cartridge assemblies today are packaged in different forms. One such form is shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A. The packaging is currently marketed by Abbott Laboratories under the trademark Detecto Seals.RTM.. The cartridge assemblies 12 are bundled in plastic packaging 10 in a linear or side-by-side spaced relationship. The packaging 10 includes a metal tray 14 at the bottom thereof for receiving the distal ends of the cartridge assemblies 12. The metal tray 14 serves to prevent a thief from inserting a needle through the bottom of the packaging 10 and into a grommet of an individual cartridge assembly 12, in an attempt to withdraw the controlled substance.
Although this type of packaging has been useful, it has its disadvantages. First, in order to gain access to an individual cartridge assembly 20, the authorized medical professional must bend the top portion 16 of the packaging 10 so that the portion tears along the serrated edge 18. See FIG. 1A. However, quite often the medical professional inadvertantly tears further along the serrated edge 18 which exposes the adjacent cartridge assembly 22. Once that area is open the exposed cartridges must be discarded to protect against contamination and/or possible tampering. This loss in supply becomes quite costly. Further, the shape of the packaging is disadvantageous for its use in the hospital. Automated dispensing machines (ADM) are used in the hospitals to dispense the cartridge assemblies prefilled with controlled substances. In one such machine made by Pyxis, Inc. of San Diego, Calif., the drawers are not large enough to receive the package shown in FIG. 1.
Another form of packaging used today is a cardboard rectangular container designed to enclose an individual cartridge assembly. This type of packaging also has its disadvantages. First, the cardboard does not provide any protection against withdrawing the controlled drug via a needle through packaging and through the grommet of the cartridge assembly. Further, in other automated dispensing machines such as those made by Diebold, Inc. of North Canton, Ohio, cartridges may be dispensed individually, one at a time, by a module which allows such cartridges to roll down a smooth path toward the medical professional. However, the rectangular cardboard container cannot be used because it cannot roll.
It would be desirable to provide a packaging for a cartridge assembly that would avoid the disadvantages of the prior art described above.